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cleaver believer

13K views 62 replies 13 participants last post by  millionsknives 
#1 · (Edited)
While I am rehandling my gyutos and vintage carbon chefs knives ( a slow process for lack of free time), I've been using a $10, no name, carbon steel chinese cleaver just about exclusively for two weeks.

I'd say I can accomplish 99% of kitchen tasks with a cleaver and itinomonn wa butcher. I might even be 20%+ more efficient with the cleaver. So why do I have thousands of dollars in knives...

Anyway I think I'm becoming a cleaver person. I have a CCK 1303 coming tomorrow and a thai brand, Aranyik, also on the way.

I'll post reviews when they get here

Here's a pic of the thai one...

 
#7 · (Edited)
If I did a lot of rough-cutting of veggies I'd probably think a cleaver neat also.
It's for so much more than rough cutting:



In fact for precision cuts that need to be repeated, it's a lot easier. Try doing this stuff with a chefs knife. It's the same reason that for totally uniform soba noodles, they use a menkiri.
 
#9 ·
I have done those <1mm horizontal cuts in large onions with a [relatively speaking] dull suji, but not with consistent uniformity of thickness like that. But even speaking apples to apples as far as edge goes, I can see how having a cleaver you can grab mid-spine and push straight through with would be an advantage in some applications requiring finesse. But for fine slicing the like of celery and shallot I prefer a suji over anything taller.

Rick
 
#16 ·
I have that same Thai cleaver I bought back in March off a guy peddling knives out of the back of his pickup bed in a little village south of Chiang Mai, Thailand. It has become my favorite slicer/dicer blade for Thai cooking. I tend to match my cleaver to the country the dish is from so I have several dozen knives I've picked up in China and if I'm doing Sichuan its going to be a different chopper in my hand.
 
#19 ·
I use a 4 pound hammer in breaking up bones for stock, and it's the only accessible way I have of reducing cow bones.

I used to use a heavy cheap chefs sharpened to 60deg inclusive, but it made a mess of the poly board so I then got the brilliant idea of putting the hammer to use.  Added benefit is that the chicken bones don't go flying as much as with the knife.  For the cow bones I have a nice piece of granite ledging outside to beat on.

As with the knife I wear goggles, best to be safe when things are flying around.

Rick
 
#23 · (Edited)
Years ago (I can't remember the forum and username), somebody talked about "the moral superiority" of cleavers. It's a funny saying but there's a hint of truth in it.

I own three Chinese cleavers which I abuse as no one here could even imagine. I mean, I cut branches, small trees and all kind of woods for barbecues, with almost no harm to the edges. Geometry is a no brainer, just a piece of almost rectangular steel that duplicates as a scraper. They are cheap, strong and reliable and one cleaver will last generations in a home cook environment. 

I have some respectable Japanese knives, but would never stop using cleavers on a daily basis.
 
#25 · (Edited)
There are bad cheap cleavers too!  I think my CCKs are just entry level. What is cheap compared to gyutos, is expensive to someone used to stainless junk from block sets.

$70-100 for a cleaver with this level of performance is a deal to me.

IMO it's cheaper because

1- steel they use is cheap (don't expect white steel, blue steel, etc here.  these are just simple carbon steels)

2-fit and finish is just okay

3- handle is cheap but usable

4- I think cleavers are easy to make.  I don't think you have to worry so much about fancy convex grinds, the profile, etc.  Start with a rectangle, take up the ends a little bit, hammer it as thin as you want, and grind near the edge even thinner.  The end!

5- scaling up  - Just the pure # of cleavers they are producing is so much higher than any fancy Japanese artisan.  Scaling up anything lets you sell it cheaper.

On that note...  I got my KF1103 today, I'll post pictures later.  Gonna regift the smaller KF1303 and maybe get some more cleaver converts! 

Some day I'll get into more expensive ones.  A Sugimoto for my birthday would be nice :D
 
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